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Storm roundup: Weather warnings, ferry cancellations and power outages

Saturday's storm wasn't as bad as predicted in Greater Victoria. Our story on how it dodged a shot of history .
Jeff Bell,Carla Wilson,Katherine Dedyna

Saturday's storm wasn't as bad as predicted in Greater Victoria. Our story on how it dodged a shot of history.

Weather

Update: The wind warning for Greater Victoria, the Southern Gulf Islands, inland Vancouver Island and east Vancouver Island ended at 11:07 p.m. Saturday. The rainfall warning for east Vancouver Island remained in effect.

Environment Canada had issued a wind warning for Greater Victoria for early Saturday evening, saying the wind will be strong enough to cause damage. The forecast called for southeast winds of 60 km/h with gusts to 90 into the night. Rain will accompany the wind. As of 9 p.m., the warning was still in effect. The storm was expected to ease about midnight.

In its warning, Environment Canada said: “Ahead of the storm, winds will strengthen rapidly out of the east to southeast to affect areas near the Strait of Georgia. This includes Greater Victoria, the Southern Gulf Islands and east Vancouver Island, where peak winds may well exceed 90 km/h by late this afternoon and remain a threat through mid-evening.”

The storm will also affect the Sunshine Coast, Metro Vancouver, Abbotsford, Howe Sound and the Sunshine Coast from mid-evening Saturday to early Sunday.

The warning said the storm has the potential to “toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break.” People are being advised to stay out of wooded areas to avoid injury from falling branches and trees.

More information:

B.C. Hydro

Update, 10 p.m.: B.C. Hydro says about 229,000 customers have been affected by power outages, including almost 90,000 on Vancouver Island.

Update, 8:15 p.m.: More than 14,000 homes and businesses are without power on Vancouver Island, including about 10,000 in the Nanaimo area. About 12,000 on the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast are also without power.

Spokeswoman Simi Heer said additional crews from the Interior were called in ahead of the storm to provide support in areas that are expected to see the most damage.

The storm on Friday caused outages for 190,000 customers at its peak but crews working overnight restored power to the bulk of homes by Saturday morning.

Heer said more outages are likely to come today and customers should be patient if they lose power and call emergency services only if they see downed wires.

If you see a downed wire, call 911. Stay at least 10 metres — about the length of one bus — away from the wire.

To report a power outage, call 1-888-POWERON or text *HYDRO

More information:

B.C. Ferries

Update: Sailings between Comox and PowellRiver have been cancelled: 6:50 p.m. departing Comox (Little River) and 8:45 p.m. departing Powell River (Westview).

MV Klitsa has cancelled the following sailings between Brentwood Bay and Mill Bay due to high winds: 4:45 p.m. and 5:55 p.m. departing Brentwood Bay, 5:20 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. departing Mill Bay.

Extreme weather conditions have forced the cancellation of four major B.C. Ferries sailings starting at 3 p.m. today including three routes between Vancouver Island and the mainland.

Seventeen other sailings, 16 of them departing from Swartz Bay in Victoria, and Duke Point and Departure Bay in Nanaimo, were also cancelled.

“It is extremely unusual to have all three major routes out of service,” said B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall. She said the company wanted to make sure its vessels did not get caught part-way in their routes unable to dock, which would have be “a big impact on customers.”

The routes affected are Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen-Duke Point, Tsawwassen-Gulf Islands, and Departure Bay-Horseshoe Bay.

Normal sailings are expected to resume Sunday.

At Duke Point, vessels will sail on the Monday schedule, allowing four extra sailings. The first will be at 5:15 a.m. instead of the regular time of 10:15 a.m., Marshall said.

An extra round trip will also be added between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, leaving Swartz Bay at 8 a.m. and Tsawwassen at 10 a.m. 

More information:

Coho and Clipper

The Black Ball Coho plans to sail on schedule at 4 p.m. from Victoria to Port Angeles.

The 6 p.m. sailing of the passenger-only Victoria Clipper to Seattle has been cancelled. Two busloads of passengers from that vessel will travel on the 4 p.m. Coho sailing and take the Bainbridge Island Ferry to reach Seattle by bus.

More information:

Victoria International Airport

Almost all flights leaving Victoria International Airport are departing on time or scheduled to depart on time so far today.

More information:

Harbour Air

Short-hops on Harbour Air are out for the rest of the day. The airline opted mid-afternoon to cancel four remaining flights Saturday between Victoria and Vancouver.

More information:

Roads

8 p.m. — Downed trees and power lines completely blocking Fulford Ganges Road at Dukes Road, according to Salt Spring Fire.

4 p.m. — The public is asked to avoid Beach Drive between Estevan Avenue and Dalhousie Street due to a downed wire. The roadway was closed Saturday afternoon after a tree branch fell onto a secondary lower-voltage wire. The power is not out, Oak Bay deputy fire chief Darren Hughes said at 4 p.m., adding that crew were on the way.

4 p.m. — Island Highway closed between Admirals Road and Helmcken Road due to downed power lines down. UPDATE: Road expected to open by 4:45 p.m.

3 p.m. — Highway 14 between Otter Point and Shirley was single lane, alternating traffic due to downed power lines. No estimate for full opening was available.

More information:

Municipal information

  • Central Saanich — For trees or branches in municipal parks, on boulevards or other public lands and for other tree issues, contact Central Saanich public works at 250-544-4224. In the event of a flood on streets or sidewalks, call public works (24/7) at 250-544-4224. A supply of sand bags and sand is available outside the gates of the Central Saanich Public Works Yard, 1703 Keating X Road. More information here
  • Colwood — If you you notice a safety hazard or maintenance required, report the issue online or call 250-474-4133. In the event of emergency outside regular business hours, contact 250-812-9992. More information here
  • Esquimalt — Esquimalt has closed three of its parks because of the weather: Highrock, Saxe Point, and Rockcrest. A decision will be made Monday on whether to reopen them.
  • Langford — Sand bags are available to residents at Millstream Elementary (626 Hoylake Ave.), Trolley Hall (3213 Happy Valley Rd.), Firehall  No. 3 (2872 Sooke Lake Rd.) and Centennial Park (2805 Carlow Rd.). More information here
  • Nanaimo — To report problems in parks or on trails, contact Nanaimo Parks and Recreation at 250-756-5200 or email askpre@nanaimo.ca.To report problems related to storm sewers and flooding, call the public works hotline at 250-758-5222. Sandbags and sand are available to residents at the Public Works Yard at 2020 Labieux Rd. More information here
  • Oak Bay — Emergency preparedness information is here
  • Saanich — In the event of a flood on streets and sidewalks, call 250-475-5597 Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or 250-475-6190 after hours. More information here
  • Sidney — For flooding or other municipal issues, call 250-656-1184 to make report or request assistance. Updates will be posted at sidney.ca
  • Sooke — Please contact utility providers for emergencies regarding their services: CRD Water: 250-474-9600, EPCOR (sewer): 250-480-2198.
  • Victoria — Ross Bay Cemetery, Beacon Hill Park and Banfield Park closed as of 5 p.m. Saturday. If you see water pooling in your street during heavy rain, please call 250-361-0400 for assistance from city crews at any time. To report branches or a tree down, call 250-361-0600. If calling on the weekend, or weekdays before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m., please call 250-361-0400. More information here
  • View Royal — If you require assistance during regular office hours, please call the engineering department at 250-708-2258. For non-emergencies, leave a message; your call will be returned during regular office hours. For a services-related emergency (public works, sewer or drain) after regular office hours, call 250-479-6800. More information here

— With The Canadian Press

- - -

Wind played havoc with B.C. Ferries and other transportation links Friday as the region prepared for what could be an even more powerful storm tonight. 

The last of three storms predicted for Greater Victoria this week is expected to hit about 6 p.m. with rain and wind gusts up to 80 km/h.

Along with affecting ferries, Friday’s wind led to Harbour Air floatplanes being docked in the afternoon. Wind turbulence — rather than speed — caused flight cancellations and delays at Victoria International Airport.

Most ferry travel resumed by mid-afternoon after winds of about 75 kilometres per hour prevented docking at Tsawwassen. B.C. Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall said delays began when Spirit of Vancouver Island’s 11 a.m. sailing from Swartz Bay was unable to get to the dock by 12:45 p.m., as scheduled. “They held off of Tsawwassen for quite awhile, for about an hour.”

At the same time, Coastal Celebration was en route to Tsawwassen from Swartz Bay; it went into a holding pattern south of Active Pass because of the docking delay. As well, service was suspended on the Tsawwassen-Duke Point run.

Genny Viajero of Shawnigan Lake was on Coastal Celebration when it parked off Galiano and Mayne Islands for a couple of hours.

The ferry left Swartz Bay shortly after noon and announcements were made that it would be travelling slowly because of the weather. The ride was bumpy but conditions became calmer when the ferry stopped by the islands, she said.

“There were a million calls for cleanup at the bathrooms,” she said. “Definitely a lot of ill people. I don’t usually get queasy but I was getting queasy.”

Some passengers were wringing their hands, Viajero said. Many were “quite nervous.” Walking was difficult and most people remained seated.

As the ferry arrived at Tsawwassen, passengers were told to stay upstairs and not to go to their vehicles until docking was complete, she said.

Both the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen-Duke Point runs were back by about 3 p.m., Marshall said, but then the 3 p.m. ferry between from Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay was cancelled.

Friday’s weather knocked out power for thousands of customers on southern Vancouver, with problems concentrated in Sooke, Central and North Saanich, and North Cowichan. The outages began in the afternoon and, because of extensive damage, could be out for some customers overnight, B.C. Hydro said.

Concern about the stormy weather has kept Jen Wilde and many others scrambling to get as many shelter beds as possible ready for the region’s homeless. Wilde is co-ordinator of Victoria’s Extreme Weather Protocol, a program to help people in need when tough conditions hit in the fall and winter.

About 50 sleeping mats have been available on recent nights, and the program can expand to over 400 emergency beds and mats when it is in full operation.

Various agencies are working to accommodate extra people, she said.

“Generally we’re not hit with storms like this until November, early December.”

She said the provincial government has already responded with funding to meet the earlier-than-usual demands.

Tonight's storm is emerging from the last gasps of Typhoon Songda, but could still pack quite a wallop, said Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan. He said he expects it to be more of a wind event than a rain event, and that it is still not known where it will be most intense.

“There’s still a fair amount of uncertainty with the exact placement of the storm track,” he said.

Castellan said there is a chance the core of the storm will follow an inland path through Washington state and emerge in southern B.C., with only some of it reaching Vancouver Island — meaning “much less of a story” for the Victoria area.

There is also a chance that local winds “could reach thresholds that we haven’t seen in a long time,” he said.

Wind over 100 kilometres per hour in some areas are a possibility, Castellan said. “Wind speeds above 90 kilometres an hour cause widespread damage.” Even though wind should be the big factor, there could still be up to 100 millimetres of rain over the course of the storm, he said.

The coming storm has been drawing comparisons to an October 1962 weather system that was also associated with a typhoon, Castellan said. The vestiges of Typhoon Freda generated gusts up to 125 km/h, killing seven people in B.C.

“There’s definitely a lot of comparisons when you think of the story line,” he said.

University of Victoria associate geography professor David Atkinson, an expert on the effects of extreme weather, said improved preparation and better infrastructure would mean less damage from such a storm. He said preliminary measurements indicate this weekend’s storm will not be nearly as bad as its 1962 counterpart. “It won’t be a generational event.”

Around the region, municipalities have been posting storm-related information, including how to contact B.C. Hydro to report a power outage. (Phone 1-888-POWERON .)

A number of municipalities are offering sand-bagging material for people concerned with potential flooding, including Saanich, Colwood, Sooke and Central Saanich.

In Nanaimo, officials are warning about the possibility of increased flow in rivers and streams due to heavy rainfall, and are advising that parks and trails could be closed.

The City of Victoria will set up an emergency operations centre if needed. Its website said residents should have home emergency kits that include such items as flashlights, batteries, a portable radio and blankets.

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said people should be prepared to ride out the storm. “Get ready,” she said. “Help out your neighbours, watch out for each other. Victorians are really good at coming together in times of need and disaster.

“We’re not expecting any disasters but we’re certainly asking people to take care of themselves and pay attention to what’s going on.”

The weather has already begun to have an effect on local events, with concert promotion company Atomique Productions being forced to cancel its Friday night event at Sugar nightclub featuring Brooklyn group Quantic due to the artists’ transportation concerns. An appearance tonight at Alix Goolden Performance Hall by author and podcaster Jonathan Goldstein has also been called off.

Other weekend events put on by Atomique are in danger, too, because of concern about power outages, said co-owner Nick Blasko.

jwbell@timescolonist.com

— With a file from Mike Devlin